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CIVVIES GET GYM MEMBERSHIP PAID BY ARMY

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LE

I was just looking on the 'Female experiences of basic training' in the Joining Up Forum and came across the following little gem

armygirl87 said:

Hey I went to lichfield for selection i failed im waiting to go back. In the medical i had to do 5 press ups so pretty easy. the PT session in the evening didnt involve many press ups it was all just a bit of fun really dont worry about it to much they are strict but youll have a great time just try to enjoy it. make sure you train hard on ur running expect to be dying after your warm up at lichfiled but just keep going its not a bad run! oh bit of advice take a few bottle s of water with u theres a water dispenser but u have to share cups itll just be handy to have ur own. any other questions ill be happy to answer. x
ps....my recruiting office has just paid for 3 months free gym memmbership at fitness first it mite be worth asking ur careers advisor about this and good luck

So Regular and TA soldiers are being told there isn't enough money for essential equipment or even training? From the largest pieces of equipment down to lads having to dye UBACS and the TA having their MTDs cut and live ammo firing stopped as it's too costly, the reason given , there is not enough money. Yet civvies who can't be bothered to put their hand in their pocket to pay for gym membership or get out and pound the roads, putting in enough effort and hard work to be able to pass selection are getting private gym memberships paid for out of the budget. Doesn't sit too happily with me I have to admit.

LE

I'd have thought that seeing as the Forces are "full up" and can pick and choose at the moment, this kind of thing , failing at Lichfield, would have been an automatic bin on joining. I didn't have this kind if help when I joined, just road pounding and making use of stuff at home to help with sit ups etc.

Old-Salt

I never used the gym before joining three times I used to have to just pound concrete.
If you're not putting in the effort to pass selection you shouldn't get bloody gym memberships to help you to try again.

LE

When I joined, which was also a long time ago, gym memberships were unheard of. However, back then at 19 if you couldn't run 1.5miles in the given time without 'special' fitness training then you were the exception rather than the rule. Seems too many applicants these days are unbelievably unfit. How anyone under the age of 25 can find it difficult to just go out and run 1.5 miles without struggling is beyond me. It's not far and it's not difficult.
They get plenty of time to train between applying and getting a place at ADSC, if they don't already have the basic fitness required to pass ADSC and are too lazy to get out and train they most certainly should not be getting anything from the Army let alone gym fees paid. As Saintstone said , we can take our pick these days, so why the hell aren't they just being binned. What also gets me is she has the cheek to say 'it was easy' and 'just a bit of fun'. Maybe therein lies the reason she failed?

LE

When I joined I had never been to a gym or done any physical training whatsoever. Still easily passed the old BFT though. I vividly remember not having any idea how far a mile and a half was (or how heavy the old combat highs felt).

Not sure what you mean about recruiting teams with PTIs, if you mean for potential recruits to be trained, then why should they? If they can't put the effort in to be fit enough to pass the very basic requirements of ADSC they don't deserve a place. As for Bannatyne, free membership for serving Reg and TA yes nice idea but why should their families get it and if by recruits you mean those who have not managed to pass ADSC or those who are in the application process I see no reason for them to get it either.
If civvies who want to be soldiers can't be arrsed to get fit in their own time under their own steam, then they don't have what it takes to be a soldier and should binned.

Not sure what you mean about recruiting teams with PTIs, if you mean for potential recruits to be trained, then why should they? If they can't put the effort in to be fit enough to pass the very basic requirements of ADSC they don't deserve a place. As for Bannatyne, free membership for serving Reg and TA yes nice idea but why should their families get it and if by recruits you mean those who have not managed to pass ADSC or those who are in the application process I see no reason for them to get it either.
If civvies who want to be soldiers can't be arrsed to get fit in their own time under their own steam, then they don't have what it takes to be a soldier and should binned.

Swinger

Halo monkey i didnt say selection was easy i said five press ups was easy which cmon it is. and in the evening we did have a laugh with the team games it was like 8 pm and we did relays etc it was hard but we had a laugh and so did the cpl who was with us. I failed selection on my run but i honestly believed i was ready i wouldnt have gone if i thought id of failed. Since failing ive continued my training road running, weights etc etc...
The gym memebership has just been given to all people at our recruiting office whether theyve been to selection or not. Its free why would i or the others trying to join turn it down. Im not sure where the money has come from for this, if i hadn't of got this i would still of continued to train by road running etc. Honestly im a genuine person who wants to join the army i am not taking the piss and just because i failed doesn't mean i'm a waster please dont judge me.

Old-Salt

Maybee the recruiting sergeant just likes this paticular recruit and paid for her to go to the gym? I have not heard of the recruiting office giving out gym memberships. Ive just come of satisfied soldier and the general advice given was to hit the pavement and put the effort in and get the results. I dont know about the Adsc but now were full they can afford to be picky and a pti should do his/her job and weed out the weaker ones not "have a good time and only do 5 press-ups" Quite frankly thats embarissing. As for gym memberships im based in aldershot and have free gym membership for life. And the facilitys are top notch (i think the swimming athletes for the 2012 Olympics are staying in our camp because its right next to the pool complex.)

Swinger

I was only asked to do 5 press ups and yes perhaps that is embarresing but i was only telling another girl on here what i had to do in my medical at selection, i can do more than 5 press ups but like i say its all i was asked to do. I did enjoy the evening of my first night at the selection centre like i said it was team games and it was more relaxed than the rest of my time there the team games is what i enjoyed everyone working together it was just good to see its hard to find that in civilian life but the rest of my time ADSC was hard work.

...and it isnt just me whos getting free gym membership i havent been singled out for this

Old-Salt

Lets not board the outrage bus just yet. I do not like the fact you have singled out a new member on the forum and somebody intrested in joining the forces and fed her to the lions as it were.

Now first off how do you know this little deal is costing the army any money at all? The gym in question may just have struck a deal to provide this service in return the army should get fitter recruits and the gym should get a bit more money in their pocket as recruits wait for basic or whatever reason. This is not an incentive that has been rolled across all of the AFCO's so I cannot see the cost been substantial by any means.

Secondly, this isnt your generation, 'back then' when every body was Jack the lad and you used to run around fields all day and you were all super fit, toned like adonis before signing up, unfortunatly the playstation happened and most of my generation are fat and lazy and generally alot more unfit, yet the army's high standards have not changed, so woe be to them if they try to help stem this growing tide of unfitness.

Thirdly, in an organization as large as the army I assume money is allocated to recruitment and it stays at that, so if this incentive gets more recruits through ADSC and Phase 1, then why not? Agreed its not needed but physical fitness is not everything, she could be a real bright spark and a future asset to the army, yet you would de-rail her from failing on one run. As much as it his her fault for failing, its her AFCO's fault as well, with all the pre-selection course etc. they run now.

When she says its fun and a laugh, I ask everyone of you who is serving or ex-serving at Phase 1 is there times when it is a good crack and everyone had a laugh even though it was bloody horrible. Is that not part of the army's way to crack on and not lose your sense of humour when the going gets tough?

I do not think its right that Soldiers are not getting live ammuniton to train with regular or TA and that the correct kit is not been issued, but to take your anger out on a potential recruit because she failed 1 thing at her ADSC and gets offered an incentive to help her pass, that you do not fully know the cost implications of is I feel very harsh.

LE

Swinger

Lets not board the outrage bus just yet. I do not like the fact you have singled out a new member on the forum and somebody intrested in joining the forces and fed her to the lions as it were.

Now first off how do you know this little deal is costing the army any money at all? The gym in question may just have struck a deal to provide this service in return the army should get fitter recruits and the gym should get a bit more money in their pocket as recruits wait for basic or whatever reason. This is not an incentive that has been rolled across all of the AFCO's so I cannot see the cost been substantial by any means.

Secondly, this isnt your generation, 'back then' when every body was Jack the lad and you used to run around fields all day and you were all super fit, toned like adonis before signing up, unfortunatly the playstation happened and most of my generation are fat and lazy and generally alot more unfit, yet the army's high standards have not changed, so woe be to them if they try to help stem this growing tide of unfitness.

Thirdly, in an organization as large as the army I assume money is allocated to recruitment and it stays at that, so if this incentive gets more recruits through ADSC and Phase 1, then why not? Agreed its not needed but physical fitness is not everything, she could be a real bright spark and a future asset to the army, yet you would de-rail her from failing on one run. As much as it his her fault for failing, its her AFCO's fault as well, with all the pre-selection course etc. they run now.

When she says its fun and a laugh, I ask everyone of you who is serving or ex-serving at Phase 1 is there times when it is a good crack and everyone had a laugh even though it was bloody horrible. Is that not part of the army's way to crack on and not lose your sense of humour when the going gets tough?

I do not think its right that Soldiers are not getting live ammuniton to train with regular or TA and that the correct kit is not been issued, but to take your anger out on a potential recruit because she failed 1 thing at her ADSC and gets offered an incentive to help her pass, that you do not fully know the cost implications of is I feel very harsh.

LE

i would much rather the armys money went towards live rounds..etc. but i dont control where the money goes....i would still train with or without the gym...if you want something bad enough u put the work in.

LE

I can't see any hint of bullying here. Just people expressing a perfectly justifiable concern that money that is badly needed for current ops and training might be being used in a rather "fluffy" manner on people who need to do nothing more than get out running and throw a few press-ups and sit-ups into their daily routine.